4-44 – Traveling and the Spin Move

The Points of Emphasis released by the NFHS for the 2018-2019 season include identifying the pivot foot and traveling. The spin move is a perfect example of why identifying the pivot foot is vital.

The Rule on the Spin Move

Rule 4-44 on traveling states, “Traveling is moving the foot or feet in any direction in excess of the prescribed limits while holding the ball. The limits on foot movements are as follows… … Art. 3 – After coming to a stop and establishing a pivot foot: a. The pivot foot may be lifted, but not returned to the floor, before the ball is released on a pass or a try for goal.”

Play Discussion

As implied in the rule, the first step in ruling a traveling violation is to identify the pivot foot immediately after a player has control of the ball or ends the dribble. Once the pivot foot is identified, the official can easily rule a traveling violation if the pivot foot comes off the floor, and then returns to the floor.

The spin move happens quickly, and if the pivot foot is not identified immediately, the ability of the official to rule on the traveling violation goes down dramatically.

The following video includes 3 examples of the spin move; one that is ruled incorrectly, one that is ruled correctly, and one where the player executes the spin move correctly. The purpose of showing these 3 scenarios is to give you an idea of how quickly the pivot must be identified – but also, once you see this play done correctly and incorrectly, it is easy to rule when it is legal or illegal

The key to increasing your consistency on ruling traveling violations is to quickly identify the pivot foot.

Bad Teaching of the Spin Move

Here is a great example of how players are being taught this move incorrectly. At the time of writing this article, the video below has been viewed over 150,000 times. Take a look, he gives 3 tips for an effective spin move, and tip number three – create as much distance between you and the defender as possible. Guess what that includes – a traveling violation.

On his blog post, he also shows video of several NBA players executing this move. In the NBA, this is a legal move due to the ‘zero’ step. Bottom line – in High School, this move, as executed here, is a violation.

Related Articles

A traveling violation is an easy call if you can accurately identify the player’s pivot foot. Identify the pivot foot every time a player catches the ball and every time a player ends their dribble. The […]